Apparatus for catching and elevating hogs



(No Mo-de1.)\

TJH. CURTIS.: APPARATUS FOR CATGJEIINGv AND BLEVATING HUG-S.

No.'V 458,018. Patentedy Aug@ .18, 18911.

WIM/'58858:

,siren Srares fila-ren fri-nichons n.

APPARATUS FR CTCHiNG AND ELEVATNG HQ@ CURTlS, l OF ULEYELAND Ol'll).

SLEGFIGATION formingpart of Letters atent No. 458,018, dated :august 1S, 1892i.

Application led February 13, 1891. Serial No. 381,305. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom z' may concern:

Be it known that L-lHnoDoRE il. CURTIS, of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Catching and Ele'vating llogs; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and

exact description ot' the invcr1tion,wl1ich will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and ase the same, reference bei n g had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of lth is specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in apparatus for catching and elevating hogs, more particularly in hog-catchers.

The object of the-invention is to provide an improved device for securing-a hog hyth'e hind legs which shall be exceedingly simple, cheap, and durable in construction and composed of a minimum numberot parts. These and other objects are accomplished by and my invention consists in certain novel features ot construction and in combinations of parts, more fully described hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

l'Figure l is a view ot` the improved hog securer and suspender, showing a hog held thereby, this view also showing the means whereby the hogI is released from said sus pending device. Fig.. is a detail elevation of the seenringand suspending device of Fig. l. Figs. il, l, 5, and C are views ot modifications.

The present invention comprises the snspending-ehain d, at its'u'pper end carrying the strong -inctal hook l), by which the device carrying-the hog is attached removably to the trolley (not shown) traveling or the hook is slipped upon the track rf. This hook. is provided with the ring (Z, by which the hog-sccuringdevice is elevated to the'trolley traveling on the track. Thelower end of thcsuspendiiig-ohaiu Il. is secured'to the central portion of the transverse bar or equalizer w, from the opposite ondsol' which the two grapplingchains fj" respecti vely han the equalixer holds apart, or carries or partially carries two suitable grapyilcs from iis opposihl end, cach grapple consisting of any suitable grz'tpplingmechanism, suol: as chain in other words,

f, at its lower end provided with strong metal hooks g, each hook being prei/Titled with loose ring h, as shown.v

In the operation off catching hog two men are employed with this device, each marital:- ing one ot the grappling-chai ns and wrapping it once or twice around the hind legs of the hog and then catching the hook in the chain, so as to form a timber-hitch," as shown iu Fig. l. The hog is caught and secured by both hind legs and then suspended-and elevated as ordinarily oy means of the suspending-chain and its hook andan elevating-rope. (Not herein shown.) The hog is suspended from opposite ends of the equalizer-bar, and the legs are held separated thereby. When it is desired to drop the hog, the two hooks a', carried by chains h are caught in the two rings 71 of the grappling-hooks. The sus- ,'pending-chain is then dropped from its support, thereby throwing the weight on chains b', which releases hooks g and chains f from the hog, thereby dropping the hog `fvhile the suspending mechanism is held suspended by hooks a.

In Fig. 23 the equalizer-bar is formed from one piece of spring-metal, (preferably one piece, as showin) so as to form a spring equalizer-bar, by means ot' which the suspendingehain is attached. .This form ofequalizer forms a spring connection or support Wherehy sudden jars and shocks are removed and taken up, thereby preventing injury to the ineat by lsudden wrenches and jerks and eo'nsequent rupture of blood-vessels.

In Fig. t the grapples are directly secured pling-chains are heid apart by means of the equalizer.

Fig. 5 shows the snspending-chain prof vided with. the two branch grappling-chains an'd a removable equalizer-bar inserted between grappling-ehains to hold them apart.

In the last two constructions mentioned it is desirable to get the equalizer-bar as near the junction' between the grappling-chains and the suspendiiig-chains as possible. Fig. il shows double grapple without the equalizer-har, this construction consisting of the'suspendiiig-chain having a hook at its upper end and thil two grappling-chains at their n i ier ends secured to the lower end oi.'

to the suspending-chain, and the two grap- IOO ` tween the grapples and the means for susskinned, dsc., consisting of two trolleys havsaid suspending-chain and hanging freely therefrom and at their lowerV ends carrying the grappling hooks and rings. It should be observed that the equalizer is interposed bepending the hog-catching device.

By means of this invention an exceedingly simple, cheap, and durable device is provided for elevating hogs by both' hin'd legs, thereby obviating the disadvantages met with when elevating hogs by one leg and also simplifying all prior devices for elevating hogs by both legs.

The equalizer is a feature of the greatest importance. It places an equal strain on Veach leg and takes up any diiference in length of grapple-chain caused by the applicationof said chain at points on the legs having different diameters, and also holds the legs apart, thereby preventing chaing, tearing, cutting, and other injury.

The word chain is used in the specification and claims; but I do not-limit myself to the use of the chain, as any othell suitable connection can be employed, such as a rope or cable or other strong flexible means.

This present invention has no relation to, and I do not herein claim, devices for ele-` vating' beeves after they have been killed,

ing hooks at their lower ends to catch into the two legs of the carcass, and a detachable beef-tree arranged to engage the two trolleys and elevate the same to two tracks, Where it is disengaged from the trolleys and lowered, so that the carcass can be divided and the halves thereof separately carried by their separate trolleys into a refrigerahn'-roon1g but l. A hog securing and suspending device, comprising a. suspending means,'two grapples, and a spring or vertically-yielding connection interposed between said grapples and.

said suspending means and supporting said grapples.

2.1m combination, a suspending-chain, a spring equalizer-bar suspended therefrom, and the two grapple -chains, respectively, yieldingly suspended from opposite endsof said bar.

3. The device herein described for catching and elevating hogs, consisting of a single suspending-chain and the two separate loosely-hanging grapple-chains permanently secured to the suspending-chain and provided with grappling devices at their lower ends al'- ranged to secure a hog by both hind legs and thereby equalize the strain on the joints and prevent kicking during elevation of the hog. 4. The hog-catching device consisting of the single suspending-chain, the two grapple-chains depending therefrom and permanently attached thereto and provided with means, substantially as described, at their lower ends, whereby the hog can be caught and elevated by both hind legs, and the interposed equalizer-bar, substantially as described, arranged to permanently hold said grapple-chains separated, as and for the purposes set forth.

In" testimony that. I claiin the foregoing as my own I affix my signatu re in presence of two witnesses.

l THEODORE ll. CURTIS.

lV i tnesses:

GEO. F. ARNoLn,

JOHN I2". LIGHTFOOT. 

